{"id":4857,"date":"2020-06-09T20:25:37","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T00:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4857"},"modified":"2020-06-09T20:30:26","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T00:30:26","slug":"fwd-episode-61-unforgfettable-sjummer-1960-13-days-in-dublin-ireland-then-south-to-the-knockmahon-mine-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=4857","title":{"rendered":"Fwd: EPISODE 61: UNFORGFETTABLE SJUMMER 1960….13 days in DUBLIN, IRELAND THEN SOUTH TO THE KNOCKMAHON MINE SITE"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EPISODE 61   SUMMER 1960\u2026SENT TO IRELAND TO SEE IF AN ANCIENT MINE COULD <\/div>\n
BE REOPENED.  <\/div>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 7, 2020<\/div>\n

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       Too Long?  I know that.  Stick with me\u2026the job will get interesting.<\/div>\n

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       I was 21 years old when I wrote this journal.  I am now 81.  Please  keep that in mind and try to imagine<\/div>\n
       yourself at that age.  Dr. Norman Paterson, geophysicist with Hunting Technical and Exploration<\/div>\n
      Services put a big responsibility on my shoulders.  The Irish contract\u2026to see if  an ancient copper<\/div>\n
      mine at Knockmahon, County Waterford, Southern Ireland, could be reopened.  Why me? Simple<\/div>\n
      answer was the I knew how to operate the Turam, a sophisticated instrument in the search for<\/div>\n
     copper mineralization.  I was just a kid\u2026as you will see.  A lonely kid in Dublin.<\/div>\n
     They gave me 200 pounds expense<\/div>\n
    money never expecting I would have to live  in Dublin for 13 days.  But I managed\u2026thanks to<\/div>\n
    the Guinness Brewery, meat pies and the generosity of the Irish. I was lonely. I worried that I would cost<\/div>\n
   the company too much so lived as frugally as possible. Some of the entries<\/div>\n
    you will read may seem humdrum.  That\u2019s because  you are no longer 21 years old.
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This is my journal\u2026the beginning  of a great adventure.<\/div>\n

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IN DUBLIN\u2019S FAIR CITY<\/div>\n

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alan Skeoch<\/div>\n
Journal June 1 to June 13, 1960<\/div>\n
(No one predicted I would have a two week holiday in Dublin)<\/div>\n

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This is the ancient Knockmahon copper mine on the south coast of Ireland.  That<\/div>\n
was my destination in 1960 but it would take 13 more days to get there. Meanwhile<\/div>\n
I lived in Dublin.<\/div>\n

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Dublin, quite a city.  Circumstances prolonged my stay in Dublin so let me give you a short impression.<\/div>\n
First thing is the city smells\u2026Jacob\u2019s cookie factory, Guinness 62 acre brewery, Tea shops and horses. The<\/div>\n
smell is intoxicating.  The main street, O\u2019Connell Street is wide and busy and for the most part happy in spite<\/div>\n
of bullet holes deliberately left to remind Irish people of the \u2018time of the troubles\u2019.   The people are super<\/div>\n
friendly\u2026policemen who paid my bus fare, citizens who helped me find my way, and one family\u2026the Behan\u2019s,<\/div>\n
who sort of adopted me.   Lots of pubs to visit.  Lots of meat pies and sweet rolls to eat.  Trees!! Lots of them<\/div>\n
and a huge 700 acre park near the city centre.  Problems?  Of course.  Some obviously deranged people<\/div>\n
here and there.  Violence?  Never had trouble except one incident that I foolishly precipitated myself.<\/div>\n
To top the visit off, I was able to see The Quiet Man, the charming John Wayne, Maureen Ohara, and\u2019<\/div>\n
Barrie Fitzgerald movie about an Ireland that seemed mythical but turned out to be true.  Some Irish might<\/div>\n
resent the stereotypes  but I thoroughly enjoyed them with no expectations they would be part of<\/div>\n
my experience on the Bunmaahon job.  But so much happened that was similar.   Not that I  felt I<\/div>\n
was  John Wayne.  I was however a North American stepping into a cultural milieu of which I was<\/div>\n
unfamiliar.<\/div>\n

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MYJOURNAL:  I thought it was lost until by good fortune in April, 2018, I found it among some old  books in the cellar.  Quite amazing detail.<\/div>\n

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JUNE 1, 1960<\/p>\n


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Smooth flight across to Ireland with Air Lingus.  No one there to meet me so I can do whatever I please I guess.<\/div>\n
Dublin is  a beautiful city with throngs  of people on OConnell Street.  Friendly.  Girls are very pretty.  Visited<\/div>\n
the art gallery and then the museum like a normal  tourist.  Had to remind myself that I was not a tourist .<\/div>\n
Found offices of Arbuckle – Smith and Company only to discover our Turam shipment had not arrived yet.<\/div>\n
Called Barrie Nichols in Toronto to let him know there will be a delay then went shopping for shirt and shoes.<\/div>\n
Supper was no good. Toured Gresham Green.  Called  Mrs.  Behan who  invited me out to their house <\/div>\n
tomorrow when Kevin Behan gets back from Italy. Very tired.  Fell to sleep three times during the day. Being<\/div>\n
alone is not that enjoyable.  Need other people to make life really interesting but it looks like I will<\/div>\n
be stuck here in Dublin for some time.  No point in heading south the County Waterford and  village of<\/div>\n
Bunmahon without all our crates of instruments. Toured Gresham Green.<\/div>\n

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Huntec had booked  me into the high class Gresham Hotel expecting my stay in Dublin would be short.<\/div>\n
But our crates of equipment did not arrive for nearly two weeks.  The Gresham was fancy and expensive<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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.  NO one told me the breakfasts were included in the room price.  I skipped breakfast<\/div>\n
for a week to save the company money as my expense check was only 200 pounds\u2026not enough<\/div>\n
for me to stay at the Gresham so after a week I found a  cheap hotel in Clontarf, the Hollybrook, where<\/div>\n
I seemed to be the only guest and the staff made it clear my breakfast as  included.  Even then by the<\/div>\n
end of my stay in Dublin the money was  almost gone.<\/div>\n

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June 2, 1960<\/div>\n

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I woke up late so  skipped breakfast and walked to the Department of Justice to get my work clearance.  Had to prove I was doing<\/div>\n
a job that nn Irish person could not do.  Lots of unemployment here.  Looks like my training on the Turan E.M. unit has put me in a<\/div>\n
special  spot.  Few people know how to run it\u2026and it is quite complicated\u2026motor generator, base line a mile or so long, two receiving <\/div>\n
coils with 100 for separation,  a console, picketed lines running 3,000 feet from the base line at right angles, etc.  Had to explain<\/div>\n
this  to an official.  Tough situation.  Never expected to be grilled.<\/div>\n

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After that I took a bus to the the Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate, Since I had no bus fare the chap beside me paid my fare.<\/div>\n
Guinness is the national drink of Ireland, unless you are a non-drinker.  What a rare privilege to see this massive brewery in operation.<\/div>\n
They even have big draught horses harnessed to wagons loaded with barrels of Guinness to be delivered to pubs in Dublin.  The smell<\/div>\n
of the horses and the Guinness is wonderful to me.  The tour included a pile of Guinness post cards featuring men lifting bull dozers<\/div>\n
or pulling beer wagons with the horses as passengers. Humourous.   And the end of the tour was best. We all got a full pint of Guinness\u2026<\/div>\n
my first.  I wasn\u2019t to struck on the black liquid at first but soon overcame that problem.  Seems a tourist can have as much as he or she<\/div>\n
wants but I stuck to one pint.  I should have eaten breakfast. Felt a bit woozy\u2026warm and woozy.  Not staggering.<\/div>\n

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Ah, yes, Guinness is the national drink of Ireland… made from barley, hops, yeast and water.  That does not sound complicated.  <\/div>\n
Why is the beer black?  Roasted barley rather than malted which makes a thick creamy head on the pint. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n


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 The thickness of the head is achieved by passing the beer through<\/div>\n
nitrogen\u2026smaller bubbles result.  Guinness is so thick that each pint needs  time to settle.  <\/div>\n
Is Guinness really \u2018good for you\u2019 as the advertising says on billboards across  Dublin?  Some call Guinness \u2018a meal  in a cup\u2019 \u2026198 calories<\/div>\n
per pint \u2026less than a pint of milk.  Drinkers  of Guinness get an \u2018enhanced feeling of well being\u2019 , an advertising statement frowned<\/div>\n
on by the government.  Created in 18th century by Arthur Guinness<\/div>\n
and apparently one of the most consumed beers worldwide.  Guinness does seem to be good for drinkers though\u2026lots of healthy <\/div>\n
antioxidants\u2026like fruits and vegetables\u2026slow deposit of bad  cholesterol on artery walls. Or so the story is told.  My \u2018meal in cup\u2019<\/div>\n
certainly replaced breakfast and gave me an enhanced feeling that the world around me is good.  So there you have it\u2026obviously<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

       I took the tour to heart.
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This  is  high tea at the Gresham Hotel where I stayed for the first week.  I did not know<\/div>\n
Breakfast was included in the room rate so  skipped  breakfast for that week.  Fancy<\/div>\n
hotel but very unfriendly.<\/div>\n

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Bought some tomatoes  and meat pie to eat in my room while reading a book. Sort of lonely feeling\u2026needed<\/div>\n
a pint of Guinness I guess but afraid to go into a pub alone.  Not fear just felt being solitary would be uncomfortable.<\/div>\n
Contacted a sign painter as Ministry of Justice insisted I have a road sign saying Danger in both English<\/div>\n
and Irish.  This will take some time to do\u2026will pay extra to get faster work done.  Decided to go back to<\/div>\n
the Guinness factory , now have bus tokens, but found place closed.  Got some good pictures though.<\/div>\n

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I was startled by a crazy woman in middle of the cobbled street near St. James Gate.  She was covered in<\/div>\n
blood while singing and dancing and jumping around.  Very sad.  She even relieved herself by lifting her skirt<\/div>\n
and pissing without care.  Most on lookers did not stop\u2026treated  her as if a normal situation.  I kept walking <\/div>\n
as well.  Returned to my room to finish off the meat pie.<\/div>\n

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Phoned down to The Kennedy\u2019s to see if  gear had arrived.  No luck.  Our crew of three will be staying with<\/div>\n
the Kennedy family in Bunmahon.  <\/div>\n

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Then I bought some flowers and took a bus to the Behan home.  Mrs. Behan poured tea and a little later<\/div>\n
Kevin Behan came bursting on the scene.  He had just landed from Italy.  Grand fellow.  He took me to a<\/div>\n
pub for another Guinness.  Driving back he tried to run over a \u2018teddy boy\u2019\u2026or at least to scare him.  \u2018Teddy<\/div>\n
boy\u2019s are street gang members I assume.    Then he drove me home to my hotel room.<\/div>\n

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I Was quite surprised at Kevin\u2019s hatred of these Teddy Boys.  Seemed just like rock and roll kids to me\u2026couple <\/div>\n
of my friends had the greased  down haircuts although most of them had brush cuts and  were not nearly as <\/div>\n
fancy  dressed as the Irish Teddy Boys who tried to wear the fancy clothing of Edwardian England.  Some Teddy<\/div>\n
Boys did run in tough gangs though.   I think Kevin Behan\u2019s hatred was triggered by the Notting Hill race Riots in<\/div>\n
London where some 300 Teddy Boys targeted black people using iron bars and butcher knives.  That was really bad<\/div>\n
but most Teddy Boys were just mild rebels like a lot of kids in my high school days back in Canada.  I kept my<\/div>\n
mouth shut.  Maybe Kevin had a bad experience. To me those Teddy Boys and Teddy Girls wereThe kind of kids  that loved <\/div>\n
the movie Blackboard Jungle.  I did not tell Kevin that I skipped school one afternoon just to see the movie.<\/div>\n
Gutless.<\/div>\n

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Teddy Boys, so names by their Edwardian dress, were seen as rebels.  Really they looked<\/div>\n
much like the Rock and Roll kids so common in Canada  in 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s.<\/div>\n

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June 3, 1960<\/div>\n

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I woke up at 9 and made my so called breakfast\u2026crumpets and Quosh, an orange  fizzy drink.  Then went to see Mr. O;brien about maps<\/div>\n
and he in turn sent me to the Ordinance Survey Office in Phoenix Park.  What an immense place\u2026 with so many cattle I could<\/div>\n
not count them.,,and a herd of wild deer that had been there since the 17th century Got maps of old mines in western part of County Waterford. <\/div>\n
Not sure they will be of any use at all. <\/div>\n
Spent rest of  day<\/div>\n
walking through PhoenixPark. A bunch of soldiers were lawn bowling at one spot.  Then visited the Dublin Zoo.  Wish I hadn\u2019t because <\/div>\n
when I put the lens of my camera  close to the monkey enclosure one big monkey jumped  at me with sexual intent.  <\/div>\n

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What generous people\u2026an off duty policeman paid my fare back to my hotel.  Bought sausage rolls, buns and tomatoes<\/div>\n
for my supper\u2026alone in my room\u2026saving company expenses.  Phoned  Mr. Timlin, our shipment of crates from Canada have arrived in Liverpool.  Went to a movie after which<\/div>\n
I was cornered and badgered by a family of beggars on a side street\u2026five them\u2026really dirty.  Dangerous.  My nice feeling of independence is turning into<\/div>\n
loneliness.  Wrote letter to Marjorie and went to bed.<\/div>\n

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Phoenix Park has large herd of semi wild deer that have been there from the 18th century<\/div>\n

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Streets of Dublin, in 1960, still had presence of horses.  This man was just leading four of them casually<\/div>\n
down the street\u2026note evidence of Horse manure indicating this was not an unusual sight.  a hundred years<\/div>\n
ago these horses numbered in the thousands.  i.e. There were 100,000 horses  in London in 1850 and  Dublin<\/div>\n
would have about the same.  Dung abounded.  Human escrement was eventually linked<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        to outbreaks of  Cholera because water supply was contaminated with manure.
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June 4, 1960<\/div>\n

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Got up late, very late\u2026around noon.Went to bakeshop for my  breakfast (tomatoes, meat pie, crumpets). Spent most of the day absolutely bored.<\/div>\n
Phoned  Kevin Behsn and went over to his house in the evening.  Their daughter Yvonne was very cute showing me her pictures.  Kevin and Mrs Behan<\/div>\n
took me on the rounds of the local pubs.  Made me feel like home. One pub hd  a creek running through the middle of it, another pub was a castle\u2026ended<\/div>\n
evening in fish and chip  store.  I was startled to see so many Presbyterian churches in Dublin\u2026thought all churches would be Catholic.  The I.R.A. had<\/div>\n
a rally on O;Connell Street.   Met Joe Malone.  This is a strange summer\u2026first prospecting job with so many people<\/div>\n
around me.  Not the usual  wilderness  of black flies  and endless  boreal forest. All the Catholics I have met so far have been quite wonderful.<\/div>\n
I expected hostility but found none so far.<\/div>\n

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June 5, 1960<\/div>\n

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Rose early and phoned Dr. John Stam in Holland. He will join me in Bunmahon once our crates get here.  Went to the Gresham  Green Unitarian Church<\/div>\n
where Rev. Hicks was quite funny and very British.  Then he spoke about the absence of national Birth control as a cause of war\u2026 citing the Irish lady who had 24 children and <\/div>\n
her daughter who had 15.  I suppose that could be a criticism of Ireland\u2019s Catholic majority and the church influence.  But I think his real point was that<\/div>\n
overpopulation of planet earth would lead to the three horseman of the apocalypse\u2026famine, plague and war.  <\/div>\n

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Caught a bus to Kevin and Ronnie\u2019s house where Yvonne was very friendly crawling all over me.  Then we went for a very nice drive in the country.<\/div>\n
Many old  castles.  Had ice cream. Mrs. Behan had a nice supper during which Yvonne gave me a carnation.  Yvonne is 6 or 7 years old.  Then Kevin<\/div>\n
took me to a pub where we discussed the Irish Republican Army\u2026kevin concluded that \u201cthe poison is being drawn out\u2019.  But there are still machine guns<\/div>\n
on the border.  I took a picture of the family.  Kevin informed me I would be wise to find a better hotel.  Why? Because my fancy hotel had never informed<\/div>\n
me that Breakfast was included in the bill\u2026I had been skipping breakfast or just having another meat pie just to save Huntec and Dr. Paterson some <\/div>\n
money.  My stupidity I guess.  Hotel was so high class  that nn one spoke to me at all.  ‘Snob hotel\u2019<\/div>\n

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What wonderful people\u2026Kevin and Ronnie Behan.  They sort of adopted me for my stay in Dublin.  Their oldest, Yvonne, was  really<\/div>\n
a little charmer.  She was so glad to see me each visit that her greetings made me feel embarrassed.  The Behans made such<\/div>\n
an impression that Marjorie and I named  our first born Kevin.<\/div>\n

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June 6, 1960<\/div>\n

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Today is a national holiday in Ireland.   Took a bus to Malahide and walked back to hotel.  A farmer struck up a conversation in which he said<\/div>\n
\u201cIrish people are the laziest people on the earth\u201d\u2026strange comment, perhaps  made as a joke or maybe to draw out an anti-Irish comment from me.<\/div>\n
Got caught in deluge of rain while walking to Kevin\u2019s house.  Soaked.  Yvonne and family very glad to see me.  Sincere.  Took a drive to the North Harbour<\/div>\n
which was charming except for the fact some man committed suicide there.  Went to a pub then returned to the Behan  home for \u2019tea\u2019 which  is a misnomer<\/div>\n
for a full supper\u2026then watched BBC television for a while before taking whole family to the movie \u2018Who Was That Lady\u2019<\/div>\n

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On Kevin\u2019s advice I made plans to move to the Hollybrook Hotel in Clontarf\u2026cheaper, friendly, with full breakfast.<\/div>\n

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Picked up a strange fact\u2026Ireland has the lowest marriage rate in the world.<\/div>\n

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June 7, 1960<\/div>\n

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Received word  from McNabb and  Timins that the Ronka has arrived but no sign of the Turam.  Moved my bag to the Hollybrook Hotel<\/div>\n
on the Howth Road \u2026 had  a nice pastoral setting and comfortable old pub kind of registration desk.  Decided to tour the Guinness  Brewery<\/div>\n
again.  \u201cWill you be wanting another pint, lad?\u201d said  the man who joined the tour but did not drink.  \u201cTemperance\u2026call us Pioneers over here.\u201d<\/div>\n
Later I decided to line up at Dublin University to see the Book of Kells, an illustrated manuscript.  <\/div>\n

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The BOOK OF KELLS\u2026<\/div>\n

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An unfortunate event happened while standing in line to see the Book of Kells.  Mostly my fault. I tapped the shoulder of the man in front of me and asked:<\/div>\n

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\u201cAre you Irish?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, Scottish\u2026visiting.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIs this University secular?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do  you mean by that?\u201d…  he said  in rather angry manner<\/div>\n
\u201cI mean is it attached to the church or the state?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean by that?\u201d…  he got more angry, I could not see why.<\/div>\n
\u201cJust wondered.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAre you Catholic?\u201d… now he was really angry, perhaps disturbed. <\/div>\n
\u201cBorn Catholic but not so any more.\u201d  Bad  comment on my part\u2026a mistake\u2026like waving a red flag in<\/div>\n
front of a charging bull. <\/div>\n

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At that remark the guy went wild.  Seemed to want a fight.  I decided best course of action was to get<\/div>\n
the hell away from him but he followed me yelling who knows what for his accent was thick. A policeman<\/div>\n
rescued me and advised I take a  long ride on the bus and  keep  away from throwaway comments about<\/div>\n
religion.<\/div>\n

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Why did I say that remark\u2026Why trigger animosity?  It was  a  mistake, of course, but I was thinking back<\/div>\n
to the St. Skeoch legend.<\/div>\n

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 Our Skeoch relatives, ancient kind, were Catholic.  Most Scots were in the early centuries.  And there was <\/div>\n
a  connection with the Book of Kells and the Scottish Isle of Iona.  A misty connection\u2026likely  false.  A connection even more ancient than<\/div>\n
the 10th century Book of Kells.  At some point I had heard or read that St. Skeoch was one  of the 12 disciples<\/div>\n
of St, Columba  when he left (fled?) Ireland  in the sixth century for the Scottish Island of  Iona.  At that time<\/div>\n
the use of the term saint was loosely interpreted\u2026i.e. without the approval  of Rome.  Was St. Skeoch one<\/div>\n
of the twelve?  Rome had no records but there are places  in Scotland where this St. Skeoch is mentioned.<\/div>\n
Maybe our family legend about the rescue of two boys on the Bloody fields of Bannockburn was true.  And<\/div>\n
the St. Skeoch convent could have been a St. Skeoch monastery.   All perhaps nonsense since much relies<\/div>\n
on hearsay.  All this was in my mind as lined up to see the Book of Kells.  Were our roots  as much Catholic<\/div>\n
as Presbyterian. So there are the  roots of my throwaway  comment that I was  \u2018born Catholic but gave it up.’<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What was I really doing?  Just putting in time awaiting our high tech survey equipment.  The Book of<\/div>\n
Kells was fascinating\u2026a  masterpiece of art that survived the Viking raids.<\/div>\n

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The Book of Kells is one of the finest illustrated manuscripts in the world. 340 folio pages. Written in Latin and illustrated<\/div>\n
 around 800 A.D.  when Most people could  not read.   Sometimes called the Book of Columba <\/div>\n
because St Columba and  subsequent Columban monks did much of the work between the sixth and ninth centuries.<\/div>\n

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Back to my Journal:  June 7, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Bad weather barreling in from the sea.  Wrote a  letter to Barrie Nicholls and John Hogan.  Hogan is a geologist<\/div>\n
representing our client. I am worried that the delay in equipment arrival will  cost the  project a lot of money.<\/div>\n
Maye I am the only one worried\u2026hope so . Hotel resident  Joe and Moira invited me to have a drink with them<\/div>\n
which made for a perfect evening.<\/div>\n

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June 8, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Arose late after the party last night with Joe and Moira.  Went downtown and bought field books, electric tape and signs<\/div>\n
to alert local people to dangers of our project, particularly the base line wire and generator.  Surprised when a  cyclist<\/div>\n
fell off his bike into the Liffey canal.  Ambulance came fast. The German sailors and officers from the Graf Spee are<\/div>\n
in  Dublin. Since I am the only guest in the Hollybrook Hotel I feel like the lord of this ancient manor house and get<\/div>\n
treated as such.  Nice. The expense money if going awfully fast.<\/div>\n

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John Hogan made a surprise arrival so we finally got to discuss the project.  I phoned Mrs. Behan and then went to  show<\/div>\n
and a dance with John Hogan.  One girl at the dance must have crossed herself 40 times while praising the I.R.A.<\/div>\n
An interesting evening.  Washed my clothes and went to bed.<\/div>\n

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June 9, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
UP early and had first breakfast wince I arrived in Ireland\u2026hotel dining room.<\/div>\n
Sent most of the gear with John Hogan who was driving down to Bummahon \u2026 the project site in western<\/div>\n
part of County Waterford\u2026 Gave Mr. O\u2019Brien a quick briefing the Turam operation.  Checked with Arbuckle but<\/div>\n
Turam has still not arrived.  <\/div>\n

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John Hogan and I toured the Guinness Brewery \u2026 my third visit.  Then we had a lousy meal at the Temperance<\/div>\n
Hotel. Then visited head office of Irish National Sweepstakes and bought 5 shillings tickets for Marjorie.  Walked<\/div>\n
back to hotel then walked to the Behan home where kids were really cute.  Yvonne and Denise kept bringing me<\/div>\n
corn flakes on the dog\u2019s plate.  Yvonne  seems to like my lap.  Other kids Anella  and Murial also cute.  Then Kevin.<\/div>\n
Ronnie (Mrs. Behan) went to Houth for a drink.  A drunk woman was entertaining if a little pathetic.  Ronnie ironed<\/div>\n
my shirt afterwards then Kevin drove me back to the Hollybrook.<\/div>\n

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June 10, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Had  big breakfast \u2026 bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes\u2026.topped off with a rack of cold toast and marmalade.  What should<\/div>\n
I do for the rest of the day now that John Hogan has gone south?  Tour!  Dublin is a  city of wonderful smells.  Guinness<\/div>\n
Brewery covers  over 60 acres making lots of beer.  But there is also a strong smell of cookies being baked at the Jacobs<\/div>\n
factory.  So I followed my nose and had a tour.  250 employees mostly girls who gave me plenty of attention\u2026including<\/div>\n
whistling and touching.  Good time if a bit intimidating.  <\/div>\n

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The Quiet Man is great entertainment\u2026surprised me that much of the 1920 Irish stereotypes turned  out to be real in our little world  of Bunmahon in 1960.<\/div>\n
The Dark Time of the Tourbles was downplayed.<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlan, do not miss the chance to see \u201cThe Quiet Man\u201d while here in Ireland,\u201d said Kevin and  Yvonne Behan.<\/div>\n
So I went alone to see the film featuring John Wayne, Maureen Ohara and Barrie Fitzgerald.  What a grand movie.<\/div>\n
My work site in Bunmahon could not possibly be as joyful and humorous as the movie but I wish it were so.<\/div>\n

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Dublin has an under class.  I noticed  and felt sorry for an old one-eyed woman who was  having bread snd tea while<\/div>\n
I had a steak with all the trimmings.<\/div>\n

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I am picking up the Irish lingo.  Today  was described as a \u2018soft\u2019 day which means it was pouring rain.<\/div>\n

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Got an urgent message from Arbuckle, Smith and Company saying the crates had not arrived in Liverpool yet. What the<\/div>\n
hell is going on?  They told me the crates were there the other day.<\/div>\n

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June 11, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Getting better sleep now that I am having big breakfast.  Afterwards I went down to Arbuckle to pick up the part of shipment<\/div>\n
that has arrived\u2026i.e. the Ronka E.M. unit.  I will take it south on Monday. Sent telegram to Dr. Stam in Amsterdam and wrote<\/div>\n
a long letter to Barrie Nichols in Canada.  My money is very short\u2026less than 20 pounds left. Kevin asked me up to tea (i.e.supper<\/div>\n
in Irish lingo) then Kevin took Ronnie and me to movie \u201cOnce More with Feeling\u201d (no  good). After we took girls home Kevin took<\/div>\n
me to meet his mother snd father\u2026all  are in the car business.<\/div>\n

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June  12, 1960<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wind is blowing from the sea\u2026smashing windows.  I walked to Clontarf Presbyterian Church where Rev. Moore greeted me warmly<\/div>\n
and  asked me to join him for s few minutes in the vestry  Guest speaker was a methodist, Rev. Livingston who spoke about \u2018Happy <\/div>\n
Harry the Hare\u201d which sounded weird at first but made sense in the end. <\/div>\n

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Then another day with the Behan family.  I would not intrude normally but they really made me feel so welcome that to refuse<\/div>\n
would  be an insult.  Ronnie prepared another great meal. Yvonne was full of beans as usual\u2026crawling all over me.  We drove<\/div>\n
to Houth and stopped at Claremont for a couple of draughts of Guinness\u2026back for \u2018tea\u2019 and then to the movie \u2018sweet smell of success\u2019<\/div>\n
This was my last day in Dublin.  Sad farewell to the Behan family.<\/div>\n

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\"Brendan<\/div>\n

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Brendon Behan and  Kevin Behan were not related.  Two very different people who shared one common wonderful trait.  They loved  people and<\/div>\n
an afternoon in their company was an  honour.  <\/div>\n

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Kevin Behan was my host for the Dublin interlude.  He and his family opened their hearts  and doors to me.  I cannot explain why they did this except to say<\/div>\n
the they loved people, loved Ireland and waned to share this love with a young 21 year old  kid like me.  One result was the naming of our first born child, Kevin,<\/div>\n
in honour of Kevin Behan.  Sadly, we never told that to the Behan family.<\/div>\n

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Brendon Behan<\/div>\n
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Brendon Behan was a man of the 1950\u2019s snd 1960\u2019s.  He had strong opinions even as a teen ager joining<\/div>\n
the Irish Republican Army at 14 years of age.  He was an ardent republican. Regarded the English<\/div>\n
monarchy with disdain.  That said, he became very popular and his quick wit amused not just the Dublin Irish <\/div>\n
but the literary world in general.   His most famous play is titled \u201cThe Quare Fellow\u201d which is set<\/div>\n
in a  prison in the heart of Dublin.  \u201cQuare\u201d is Irish for \u201cQueer.\u201d   Brendon  Behan\u2019s one liners<\/div>\n
were quoted again and again by people with both a sense of humour and a knowledge that there<\/div>\n
is a dark side to the human condition.<\/div>\n

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\u201cI am a drinker with writing problems.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cAh, bless you sister, may all your children be bishops.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen I came back to Dublin I was court mortised in my absence<\/div>\n
and sentenced to death in my absence<\/div>\n
So I said they could shoot me in my absence.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere  is no such thing as bad publicity<\/div>\n
Except your own obituary.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe most important things to do in the world are to<\/div>\n
get something to eat<\/div>\n
get something to drink<\/div>\n
and get someone to love you.\u201d<\/div>\n

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Monday June 13  LAST DAY IN DUBLIN<\/div>\n

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How can I best describe this day?   Like a dam that has suddenly broken free\u2026like  A clock that is out of control  and time spins free \u2026like a race begun once the gun is fired.<\/div>\n
Suddenly everything speeded up and I would be gone before the sun set.<\/div>\n
This was  be my last day in Dublin.  I did not know that.  I did not know that events would move so fast that by evening I would be in the villsge<\/div>\n
of Bunmahon nestled  in an ancient place with the ruins of the Knockmahon mine brooding black and foreboding as the sun set.<\/div>\n

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My first view of Knockmahon where i would have adventures not forgotten in 60 years.<\/div>\n

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Events of that fine Dublin day:<\/div>\n

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Began packing at 8.30\u2026then phoned Arbuckle\u2026our shipment had arrived. Dr. Stam coming by air\u2026Hogan ready to pick us up in Waterford.<\/div>\n
time to get s haircut then caught bus to the airport\u2026watched  KLM flight land and Dr. John  Stam cleared  customs. Briefed  him on Irish  officials I had<\/div>\n
met\u2026back to hotel for dinner and beer. Back to American Express\u2026then over to see Mr. O\u2019brien.  Took luggage to train station\u2026first class tickets to Waterford<\/div>\n
where John Hogan met us with his Fiat\u2026drove to Bunmahon on the edge of the sea..passed the ruins of the Knockmahon mine standing alone on the<\/div>\n
edge of steep cliffs that fell down to the sea.  Empty.  No  houses.  No  living things.  Then road  dipped down to the Mahon River and the village of Bunmahon<\/div>\n
where we were to be based for the duration of the survey.  Met Mrs. Kennedy who would be our landlady and Irish \u2018manageress\u2019 \u2026 an expert on the inner<\/div>\n
workings of this sliver of Irish  society.  Very Catholic\u2026My room has three Christian statues and  a large picture of  Jesus with his heart showing\u2026hangs above my bed.<\/div>\n
Surprised to get my mail\u2026letters from Marjorie and  some.  Jan Stam said he was pleased with my handling of the situation.  He would  be in charge from now <\/div>\n
on and would do the interpretation of the notes from my field book each day.  John Hogan was a geologist and the Denison Mines company.  Three of us.  But<\/div>\n
many more will be hired.  Eventually I hired the whole village.  More of that later.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 61   SUMMER 1960\u2026SENT TO IRELAND TO SEE IF AN ANCIENT MINE COULD  BE REOPENED.   alan skeoch June 7, 2020        Too Long?  I know that.  Stick with me\u2026the job will get interesting.        I was 21 years old when I wrote this journal.  I am now 81.  Please […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4857\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}